I have been highly critical of most of Karl Lagerfeld’s ads and movies, because they don’t even attempt to prioritize human relations over consumption of products. Historically, there has been no intimacy in the advertising, which remains the case in Chanel’s Spring 2011 campaign.

Baptiste Giabiconi parades around like a peacock god in most Lagerfeld editorials, and Karl holds all emotion in check, having women do as they are told. Sensuality and passion are absent, as if Lagerfeld finds them distasteful — at least between heterosexual couples.

This is why I was fascinated a few weeks ago, watching Baptiste in his cowboy video debut.

On his own artistic terms perhaps, Baptiste fights for the girl and gets her. He kisses her with passion, leaving me with a big smile on my face. It’s nice on occasion to see human connection in advertising, although the music video wasn’t a commercial luxury seduction statement.

Le Lettre | Magdalena & Baptiste Giabiconi | Karl Lagerfeld for Hogan

Against this backdrop of personal opinion, I am thrilled with Karl Lagerfeld’s new video for Hogan’s Spring 2011 campaign. Lagerfeld has designed a capsule spring/summer 2011 collection of only six peices. A sophisticated sneaker, a cowboy boot, a clutch bag, a messenger, a trench and a jacket.

If the designer wasn’t all over the video — which is just fine — I would not believe that ‘La lettre’ came from Lagerfeld’s own mind. Of course, we have the brand values of Hogan to consider, and they are different than Chanel’s.

I won’t be a spoiler about the Hogan video. Everything about the little film is artistically and humanly brilliant. The Hogan by Karl Lagerfeld woman is described as “frank, proud, impetuous”. This is the French woman I have met many times in my life. Anne

Note: the Take 2 designation is part of our new project tracking how human relations are expressed in advertising.

La lettre by Karl Lagerfeld for Hogan